Stephen F. Austin
Southeastern Louisiana University
Lumberjacks Continue SLC Play at Home Against the Lions
3/13/2025 12:35:00 PM | Baseball
Stephen F. Austin vs Southeastern Louisiana Lions
Date: Friday, March 14th - Sunday, March 16th
Time: 6:05 p.m., 3:05 p.m., 1:05 p.m.
Live Stream: ESPN+
Field: Pilgrim's Park
All-Time Series: SLU leads 30-11.
NACOGDOCHES, Texas- The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks baseball team (7-10, 2-4 SLC) continues their four-game homestand this weekend against the Southeastern Louisiana Lions (13-3, 3-0 SLC).
A Look at the Lumberjacks
The SFA Lumberjacks come into their third Southland Conference series sitting at 7-10 overall and eighth in the conference at 2-4. They are coming off a midweek loss to former WAC foe Abilene Christian. Before that, they lost their second SLC series to Lamar in Beaumont, taking the first game on Friday night, 2-0, but losing the next two.
On offense, the 'Jacks continue to be led by junior first baseman/designated hitter Josh Ibe. He hit his fourth home run of the year against ACU as he continues to produce. Ibe currently leads the team in batting average (.356), OPS (1.248), slugging percentage (.756), on-base percentage (.492), home runs (4), RBI (18) runs (17), and total bases (34). He's also tied for first on the team with 16 hits. Junior outfielder Ben Hoshizaki has also done well as of late, hitting .455 with a .500 on-base percentage against Lamar. He also slugged .545 with five hits, a double, and two stolen bases. On the year, Hoshizaki is hitting .324 with a .871 OPS. He's leading the team in stolen bases, having swiped nine bases on eleven attempts. River Curs also continues to hit well, as his .326 batting average is second on the team, while his 14 hits are third. Dante Turgeon has an OPS of 1.003, second on the team.
On the pitching side, the Lumberjacks are led by their ace, Cody Templeton. The junior lefty is coming off the best start of any 'Jacks pitcher this year, as he pitched a complete game shutout against the Cardinals last weekend, allowing only five hits while striking out seven. The league took notice of Templeton's outing as he was voted the SLC pitcher of the week. On the year, Cody leads the 'Jacks in ERA (1.53), WHIP (.75), wins (2), innings pitched (29.1), and strikeouts (26). He's second in the conference in walks allowed per nine innings (0.92) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.67), while being third in WHIP (0.75). He's also fifth in the SLC in ERA (1.53) and strikeouts (26). Templeton is scheduled to take the mound in game one on Friday against SLU. Elian Balmaceda is scheduled to pitch the second game for the Lumberjacks. He pitched well against Lamar in relief, throwing 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball while striking out two. Hayden Tronson will get the ball in game three. He also pitched well against Lamar, throwing a season-high six innings while only allowing three runs. He struck out three.
A Look at the Lions
The SLU Lions travel to Nacogdoches sitting in second place in the conference. They have a 13-3 overall record and a 3-0 record in the SLC. The Lions are hot, having won six of their last seven games, with a midweek win over Xavier and a series win over Memphis.
The Lions are led by a strong offense, with four guys hitting over .300. Junior outfielder Dane Watts leads the team in batting average (.436) and on-base percentage (.566) while having a 1.335 OPS, third on the team. Ryan Brome has supplied the power, as his seven home runs, 47 total bases, and 1.372 OPS lead the team. Conner O'Neal is second on the team with a 1.345 OPS and is third on the team with a .343 batting average. As a team, the Lions are hitting .305 with a 1.003 OPS and 33 home runs.
On the mound for the Lions will be Brennan Stuprich and Lakin Polk, as both guys carry elite ERAs. Stuprich has a 0.75 ERA, third in the conference, while Polk's 1.00 ERA is fourth. Stuprich is also leading the conference in strikeouts (37) and wins (4). As a team, the Lions sport a 3.28 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP with 145 strikeouts. They also carry a .217 batting average against.
Series
Friday's matchup against SFA and SLU will be the 42nd time these two have played. SLU currently leads the series 30-11. The last time these two teams matched up was in 2021, when the Lions defeated the 'Jacks 9-6 in Nacogdoches.
Ticket Information
Join SFA Baseball at Pilgrim's Park this season! Single-game tickets are on sale now. Fans can visit SFAtickets.com for more information.
Follow the Lumberjacks
For all the latest information on SFA Baseball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
